the nikkei is marginally in the negative. but the broader topix, marginally in the positive. many investors will want to see what extra steps the voj may take to support economic growth here in japan. analysts say many market players are concerned that the lack of anymore aggressive moves by the bank of japan is hampering the battle to beat deflation, which is a big focus here for japan's economy. now, unemployment and inflation data on friday, therefor, will be a very big focus for investors and market players and will be looking forward to that as well. yi? >> and what can you tell us about currency mark shlgts? where are the major pairs trading this morning? >> exactly. a little bit of a deviluation there in the dollar yen. by that, i mean, it is slightly weaker, hence, possibly, the reason why the nikkei has just dipped into the negative. 104.08. it's just gone a little bit lower on-air right now. now, traders still are convinced that interest rates in the u.s. will rise sooner than had been anticipated and they have been buying a dollar against a lot of currency,s includ

both are in the positive, nikkei up 0.25%. we'll see how that progresses. the nikkei hit a two-week closing high on tuesday and both indexes registered seven days of gains in a row. now investors may be prompted to continue buying shares here today, after inflation and housing data released in the u.s. on tuesday eased some worries about the u.s. economy, and helped push the dollar higher, and that of course should continue to support exporter shares here in japan. the dollar has risen even further from this time yesterday, so that bodes well also. ai? >> so where does the dollar stand against the yen this wednesday morning, ramin, and what are you hearing where the trading may be headed? >> the dollar/yen really is stuck in a range. let's look right now, 1 10 2.93-98, close to the 103 level. an analyst i spoke to this morning from new york said the currency pair is stuck in a bit of a bat well positive economic fundamentals and then you have geopolitical concerns, strong data suggesting the u.s. economy is growing, which is supportive for the dollar, but t

up a quarter% for the nikkei. the broader topics, higher. it has been boosted by speculation that the u.s. interest rates may rise sooner than expected. and that may widen the ten-year government security interest rate gap between japanese government bonds and u.s. government bonds. that's very closely watched right now. and that, in turn, of course, is pushing up the dollar. so that's helped a lot of japanese exporters. still, there is a little bit of caution in the markets ahead of that economic symposium in wyoming later today, which is also this weekend and federal chief chair, janet yellen as well european president will p giving speeches later today. >> and where do some of the major currency pairs come this morning? >> let's look at the dollar yen. right now, single currency dipped below 1.33 dollars for the first time in a year. investors are waiting for the speech to see whether he drops any hints about helping to support euro zone's fragile growth rate, 147.91-9 6 right now. the first reading of fact ri activity in august came out

markets continuing higher and the dolladollar yen above 104, it's a up a third of a % for the nikkei. the nikkei closed in the negative on tuesday largely because of the drop in the dollar against the yen. however, we are seeing a bit of a reversal now and analysts are suggesting that with cheaper evaluation, there's roop for further gains. now, investors are encouraged by positive sentiment out of the u.s., the conference boards, was the highest in six years and durable goods orders, jumped 22.6% in july and that was the biggest monthly gain on record. so, some positive economic data comi coming out as well, we had fos corporate news, burger king said it would merge with canadian coffee and doughnut chain, tim hortons and that would create the world's third biggest food chain. so we will check on, see how that effects japanese related shares here as well. and we should also watch out for kawasaki heavy industries, a med media report said that it won an order to build a natural gas plant in central asia and that is believed to be, or would be the world's biggest of its kind. >> and yo

japan's nikkei to 25 -- japan's nikkei 225 started the day unchanged but it is gaining traction.bing 1/5 of 1%. onerest is not among those, of the top laggards this morning after -- after booking a full-year loss. luck may be running out for the lucky country, with australia's misery index at its highest since the financial crisis. let's get over to paul allen. dry in what is a rather wet and dull sydney. i can't even see the skyline behind you. it is all doom and gloom. it is a good day to be talking misery, if that is not an oxymoron. the bridge has completely disappeared in a sea of gloom, probably the worst day of the year here in sydney. the misery index, for those of you who don't know, is the sum of the unemployment rate plus the inflation rate. to 6.4%,ent spiked giving us a misery index of 9.4% in australia, which is the worst since 2008 when lehman brothers collapsed. the figure may be a little misleading, as we discussed before. the unemployment figure here is notoriously volatile. we will have to wait and see whether or not the jobless rates along with the misery inde

but a negative start here for the nikkei down over a hundred . back to you. >> all right, rami, thanks a lot for that u economists at the international monetary fund have taken a close look at the situation in japan and they've backed a view held by some that the government needs to keep lifting the consumption ta prime minister abe needs to carry through with a plan to raise the tax next year from 8-10%. the economists released their annual assessm they say the government is on the right track to fiscal cons but needs to go further. they say it should consider raising the tax gradually t japanese officials lifted the tax in april from 5-8%. still, the people at the imf are forecasting 2 economy will grow this yea. they say japan will struggle. the economists also recommend that japan push ahead with a range of growth stra. they say it needs to get more women and foreigne. more headlines for you in bu here's another check on mark >>> japan's cabinet decided ju interpretati constitution to nation to exercise its right t collective s the decision h

the nikkei and the topix both well in the positive. the nikkei ended just about in the positive on monday. investors largely focused on the health care sectors, a story we've been reporting, a source looking to spend $10 billion to gain full ownership of two-guy pharmaceutical, japan's third biggest pharmaceutical company. a lot of to skusz afocus in jap exporters. the dollar yen very important pair for currency traders. right now, it's at 102.63-65. investors bought the dollar after american home builder sentiment rose to its highest level since yan. the eero, by contrast, 137.07-10. janet yellen would be given a speech on friday. many analysts will be talking about the state of the labor market, jobs. the central bank, mariodragey will also be there. that will be another big focus. many of the market speculating at currency levels. and elsewhere, let's not forget the asian index is here. we'll keep it with china related compares. it actually climbed on monday to an eight month high. a lot of focus there. i'll keep track at both the s

the nikkei ended the day up 0.48%, snapping five days of declines. investors in australia couldn't quite recover from weak job numbers much the unemployment rate in july jumped to the highest level in more than a decade. the s & p/ssx 200 ended up 0.5%. hong kong was driven to sell casino stocks. yang singh ended 0.8 lower. shares and casino operators sought biggest declines. >>> u.s. mobile phone carrier, sprint, has named a new chief executive, marcelo chlor ray, served as ceo at a subsidiary of sprint's parent company, soft bank. chlor ray will take the reins of the third largest wireless carrier in the u.s. he is expected to start work on monday. chlor ray built up miami-based cell phone wholesaler, bright star. last year, softbank bought out the company. executive in the softbank group had been negotiating a takeover of the fourth largest carrier, t mobile u.s. but feared reg wlirts not allow the deal to go through so they decided to drop the bid. softbank's chief executive said in a statement he believes the consolidation in the industry would

that is going to help the nikkei 225.t is going to create quite a bit of demand for japanese local equities to a tune of about ¥11 trillion, approximately 4% of the nikkei 225 market cap. >> jason, great talking to you. have a splendid week. we've got to take a break, but on the other side, we are having a look at how to take matters to new heights. taking a tour of the five tallest buildings in the world. ♪ >> just minutes away from the start of trading here and in shanghai. this is a look at futures. up 8/10 ofet ended 1%. positivity across the board. let's take a look at a bit more detail as to what is happening. if you want to sell shanghai shares through the hong kong exchange link, you need to set your alarm. the hong kong exchange its shares need to be transferred before 7:30 a.m. it is to abouts the exchanges to settle trades per mainland rules. india, thatnk of income up for the first time in six quarters. of 38% in this instance. the state bank has the worst bad loan ratio among its peers. the roadshow is improv

the nikkei 225 tearing the close to 3% losses off.this moment in the early morning session. is climbing, the asx 200 is climbing, this after the truce in gaza was extended. israel and militants in the gaza strip are agreeing to egypt's proposal for a 72-our true spirit of we are waiting for treasury winds to open in sydney after receiving another bid. the offer comes from an unnamed private equity group and matches the $5.20 per share bid made by kkr last week. analysts say there may now be a bidding war. meanwhile, four years ago, elon musk invited a fellow car guide to ride in his new wheels. he and jackie o toyota hit it off so well that they decided to develop an suv together. the relationship soured, an analyst say we are unlikely to see another tesla-toyota tie up. craig trudell has the inside scoop on this. how did this partnership come about in the first place? -- thisentioned involved a ride in a new set of tesla wheels. this all started when takeo toyota asked to meet elan mosque -- elon musk. toyota was looking for somebody

the nikkei and the shanghai markets closing higher. today's areas of focus for the future markets, we have been talking about continuing geopolitical concerns.

nikkei, futures have been pointing to a higher open.t is what we have to start the session here on monday morning in asia. -- 0.2%.imbing 0.75% at 104.17 as the u.s. dollar reaches an 11 month high against major peers. chosenr news, roche has california over japan for its latest acquisitions. the drugmaker had been considering buying the almost 40% stake in chugai pharmaceuticals for around $10 billion. in the face of opposition from opted, roche has intermune instead. working tot is restore the playstation network after users were affected by a denial of service. sony says it has detected an attempt to overload the system with artificially high traffic. playstation users could not log on to the system after what appears to have been a hack attack. sony says no personal information was compromised. ibm is tying up with a chinese rival which will now use ibm software and chips. this after the chinese company tried to lure away chinese customers amid spying allegations between washington and beijing. the deal may help ibm turnaround sales

the nikkei extending losses of .4%.ooking into the red, despite joining the session in green territory. than .04% is less now. >> inflation in july rose 2.1% in australia. now for year on year, it is up -- it is up 2.6% compared to a 3.6% increase in june. >> we have "then there were three." once heralded as the group of emerging markets that would drive global growth would run into their own problems and maybe about to lose one of their founding members. david is here with us. david, who could it be? >> it's drop the "r." we gave it away again. "bic." no need for me to main explain the "r." we're talking about russia. it is starting to reflect in the market. as the president risks isolation from the west in the markets. you look at the index, the emerging markets basically easures over 800 stocks from 26 countries. if you break apart what brazil, china might make about a third percent. now you compare that index to the one on your screen, we have seen -- they have moved it all the way up until perhaps mid july. so at l

the nikkei climbing. gainsfluctuating between and losses this morning.rbulence in hong kong. greater unrest with china's rejection of greater democracy in the city. protesters say beijing has ofeged on the promise universal suffrage in the selection of the next chief executive. let's take a closer look with andrew davis. note prize here that beijing's decision came over the weekend? >> it was kind of a long time in the making. i think most people expected that beijing was not going to permit an open and free election . they do not have it in china. they are clearly ending their control over hong kong since the handover. i do not think it was any big surprise. the question is, what happens next? >> when we think of europe -- of universal suffrage, we think the candidates are freely formed, the ballots are not necessarily predetermined by a group of people who have preselected the candidates. democraticy, even a the process of choosing a candidate is very bizarre. yes, it is five votes. it is an incredibly, looted system where money has a lot of influence.

the nikkei actually closed in positive on wednesday for the eighth day in a row. and that's the best run since december. analysts say the wraekenning yen will probably make investors to look at japanese exporters to their portfolio. >> rerks amine tell us more about the dollar? >> let's have a look at the dollar-yen pair. we have seen a big jump in that figure right now. 103.69-74. the dollar jury romped after th federal reserve release. it may be a five-month high against the yen. including the euro, the single currency fell overnight to near one year low against the dollar. right now, 1.3258-3260. however, investors will scrutinize very closely, for further hints on the timing. i also want to focus on japanese component makers for apple products. especially investors looking forward to the release of the latest iphone, which many analysts which part may be launched in september. and apple shares closed at a record high in the u.s. on wednesday. it's up around 25% so far this year. many japanese components go into making a lot of the apple products and some of th

the nikkei average ended flat after moving in a tight range. >>> american pork farmers are putting pressure on u.s. trade officials taking part in talks on the trans pacific partnership. they say they won't support the free trade deal unless they get their way. members of the national pork produce producers council sent a letter. they wrote the highest priority in the talks is the elimination of all tariffs. >> if we don't have a very significant improved new offer from japan on pork specifically the gate price and tariffs are eliminated, tpp is dead on arrival on capitol hill. >> japanese negotiators have proposed lower tariffs for pork and beef instead of abolishes them. here are the latest market figures. >>> united nations officials are scrambling to deal with the growing crisis in iraq. they've declared the situation a level three emergency. tens of thousands of people lack food, water and shelter because of the threat posed by sunni militants. a threat iraqi leaders are trying to confront with a political shakeup. >> well, it's a shakeup some say was a long time coming and one many ar

the nikkei to 15,613. investors locked in profits from the rally over the past two weeks. taking a look at the overall picture in asia. major benchmarks finished mixed. investors didn't trade that actively ahead of a meeting. the shanghai composite declined half a percent. 2,229. last week it inched closer to the 2,250 mark, a level not seen since last december. investors were becoming a bit nervous about the market overheating. >>> japan, china and south korea briefly set aside strained ties in the interest of trade making it easier to move goods between the countries. the ministers signed a joint statement calling for stronger cooperation to make logestics operations smoother and cleaner. that follows the deadly sinking of a south korean ferry in april. the joint statement encourages cooperation to cut emissions. >>> thanks to the weaker yen and growing popularity of japanese food abroad, officials at the agriculture and fisheries ministry say the exports came to $2.7 billion. that's up more than 10% in yen terms from the same period last year and the highest value since

the nikkei higher by more than 2%. shanghai, hang seng and s&p asx also higher, so gains across the board really. now, with regards to what we're seeing in russia, the russian market opened significantly higher, as mentioned. investors cheering a report of a drawdown of troops from the border, despite increasing unrest around donetsk. the nation's two largest banks, vtb also in the green with hopes they will remain in the russian index. looking at the currency rate, you have euro/dollar pretty flattish at the moment. we'll be talking more about currencies. let's talk a little bit about what we're seeing in ukraine as well. russian troops, they've continued their offensive on donetsk after a proposal for a cease-fire from a pro-russian rebel leader yielding no result. the fighting concentrating on a particular junction, and we are looking very closely at what's taking place there. now, the russian president is saying he's ready to consider an aid mission to the east of the country only by an unarmed and international ta

the nikkei ended higher on wednesday. it's been up for 11 out of the last 13 trading days. as well as yeemds on u.s. and european bonds, we're looking at the 10-year u.s. treasury note right there. also, geopolitical events still linkering in the background. a little bit of caution we're seeing here. >> and, ramin, all of that looks like it's affecting currency markets, too. where are we now? >> yeah, exactly, the dollar yen a big foe cuss. let's have a look at that. the euro dollar, i beg your pardon. 1.p 3190-3192. analysts say traders sold and bought in new york trading hours to take profits from the recent advance. now, great deal of focus on the european central bank meeting coming up on september 4th. in other words, an interest rate cut. the dollar yen pair has again dipped below 104. 103.83-86. late i recall today, august unemployment rate from germany will be a big focus and probably will be a guide to the currency and stock markts, as well. now, keep track of all the sectors here in japan and also how some of the asian indexs strad. trade. most of them ended highe

the nikkei pretty much flat, 15,332. taking a look how other markets finished out the week. investors in the region were monitoring how the situation in ukraine would develop. japanese firms are trying to hire more college graduates to help expand business in the region. some are prepared to recruit graduates on the spot. eight japanese companies with operations in china and southeast asia took part in the job fair. managers are interviewing university students. major recruitment services firm organized the event. officials said more firms are looking for employees to bridge the gap with their japan-based colleagues. >> translator: we have local affiliates in asia so we want employees who can contribute to our global operations. >> i want to work with the same sense of responsibility as japanese employees. >> and this event will go on until tuesday. >>> people do rely on computers to communicate, to inform themselves and sometimes even just to relax. few people understand the programs that drive them. that's changing now. developers are writing coding languages so simple tha

the nikkei ended down. people who track the markets say solid business results from some major japanese companies were not enough to offset ongoing concerns. australian stocks lost 0.28%. analysts say some shares were bought on the back of gold prices. investors kept the recent chinese stock rally going. they were encouraged by data pointing to the data's steady economic recovery. hong kong closed up 0.28% and the upbeat mood lifted shanghai stocks to the highest level this year. the index rose 1.74%. >>> two of the largest japanese truck makers suffered sales in the april to june period. the southeast asian country is a major overseas market for the companies. executives at isuzu say sales were down 4% from a year earlier in yen terms. operating profit dropped 16%. officials at hino motors reported sales dropped nearly 11%. operating profit tumbled 27%. other japanese car makers are also doing business in thailand. >>> consumers across japan are tightening belts. researchers say growth for april to june ha

the nikkei data is lower by a .66%. optimism over the u.s. economic outlook is limiting the downside and some investors are placing buy orders. let's look at currencies. the euro remains under selling pressure against the yen on those same worries over ukraine. investors are buying the yen which they see as a safer asset. the dollar has little changed against the yen. it is trading still below that 104 level. some are buying the dollar following the upward revision in the second quarter u.s. gdp. and looking at other asian markets, south korean's kospi, and in shanghai, lower by 10%. in hong kong in negative territory as well. that's down a little more than a third percent. >>> japanese government officials are their case to the people who control the budget. they're expected to ask them for a record of more than 101 trillion yen. that's more than $970 billion for the next financial year. officials in the finance ministry are taking budget submissions until the end of today. they say they'll allocate nearly $40 billion to projects that drive

. >>> here in tokyo, the nikkei average seeing a decline of just about half a percent, 15,459. export related issues ran into selling as the yen gained ground. many turned their attention to a slew of japanese economic data scheduled for release on friday. these do include consumer prices as well as industrial output. in the philippine, the major benchmark seeing losses today. that's only the second time in 12 trading days the index has declined. shares came under pressure today, though, following the recent 4% run-up there. in jakarta, the key benchmark seeing gains of .4%, 5,184. traderers heard that a cut in the country's fuel subsidies won't come into effect before the next president assumes office in october. they have been concerned about the impact of an expected change in the policy. >>> executives at some big international companies are getting interested in drones. they want to use the flying machines to expand their business and now managers at sony are hoping to get in on the trend. sony holds the leading market share for sensors that work like the human eye. they'r

the nikkei opened lower but many business results and portin that's providing support to stock prices down. now earlier in new york, traders bought the dollar after da to showed wages are rising but it's locked in a band in th 2 yen range. investors are waiting for today's u.s. monthly jobs data to confirm the economy is rebounding. >>> inflation in the eros zone, that came in at five-year lows and dealers are selling the eros. the single currency is at eight-month lows against the dollar, six-month lows against the yen. >>> now officials in china have just released the government's factory activity data for july. it showed many factory expanded for four months ia row, the purchasing manager's index at 51.7, slightly above market forecast. >>> so let's see how investors in chinese stocks are reacting. the shanghai index is trading flat whereas the hong kong is down half a percent. a bit of a mixed reaction there. >>> the leaders of japan and chile say they want to get a move on with negotiations over free trade deal in the asia pacific. their keen to wrap up an agreement for the chanc

softbank was among the biggest decliners on the nikkei and dragged down the benchmark index 1.05%. it was the fifth straight day of decline with the index hitting a three-week low. investors in seoul sold shares in samsung electronics despite that deal with apple. the benchmark kospi ended lower. the hong kong market also fell. the hang seng slipped 0.26%. >>> china plans to punish some global car makers for what it says are monopolistic practices. local media in china say the companies are suspected of illegally setting high prices for auto accessories and servicing. >> translator: we found chrysler and audi clearly engaged in monopolistic acts. in a few days they will be subject to punishment accordingly. >> li is a spokesperson of the national development and reform commission, china's top economic planning agency. he add the commission will also punish 12 japanese automotive companies for competitive pricing. but he did not identify the businesses or elaborate on punishments. li said authorities are also investigating dealers that handle mercedes-benz dealers. he said the move

japan's nikkei dropped just over a half a percent while china's hang seng dropped about a point. >>> the wisconsin supreme couou upheld the conontroversial law ending collective bargaining for most public workers in the ststate. the courtt ruling means state worker u unions can only bargai for base wage increases and requires for health and pension costs. >> a surprising new offer to buy team mobil from a french company. illiad said they'll pay for t-mobile. that's much less than sprint offered. anne-marie, this could set up a bidding war with sprint. >> it could be very interesting. honestly all i care about is will it bring my cell phone bill down. >> no, probably not. >> thanks a lot, wendy. >>> well, rebellion and turmoil on capitol hill. bills to deal with the flood of immigrant children at the southern u.s. border came crashing down in the house and senate. correspondent nancy cordes explains why congress won't find any common ground soon. >> reporter: house republicans had to pull their border bill from the floor because they didn't have enough votes from their party. senate d

here in tokyo, the nikkei average seeing declines, fell more than .6%, 15, 523. still, some investors picked up stocks on solid earnings from firms like sony. in china, the shanghai composite seeing declines of .75%, 2,185. investors taking a breather after the index's recent strong rise, some encouraged by manufacturing data, the official index for the country's factory activity did see an improvement in july. in fact it marked a 27-month high. back in japan, new car sales fell in july for the first time in two months. officials say the decline was a reaction to the brisk sales before the consumption tax went up in april. auto industry officials said more than 460,000 new vehicles were sold last month, slipping 2.5% year on year. sales of passenger cars, including mini vehicles, edged up 0.6%, due to the introduction of new models. mini vehicles showed a 7.1% decline, the first fall in 13 months. officials note that the market hasn't fully recovered from the impact of the sales tax hike. but they expect demand to start picking up in september when car makers pla

the nikkei index is trading in the negative now -- it's slightly in the positive going in and out of positive and negative territory. pretty much flat at the moment. at the open, tokyo investors took their cues from wall street after the u.s. stock price hit record highs but is momentum is slowing. now let's take a look at currencies. the dollar is trading higher against the yen, recovering to above the 104 yen level. investors are buying the currency. but the euro, that remains under selling pressure against both the dollar and the yen. germany's weak sentiment data is weighing on investors sentiment. the south korea kospi is higher by .5%. in china, shanghai's key index is trading a touch lower. in hong kong we are seeing the hang seng in negative territory as well but also by just a touch. >>> u.s. hamburger chain burger king is set to become the world's third largest restaurant group. company executives announced a merger with coffee and donut chain, tim hortons. only two will be bigger, mcdonald's and yum brands. the new company is expected to have annual sales of about $23 bill

keep track of all the sectors here for the nikkei and the broader topic as well as asian indexes, especially if you look at the shanghai composite and hang seng index, given back a lot of the gains that they made last week, a lot of investors' concerns about falling real estate prices i and sluggish growth in china. so, we will keep track of all of those. right now the sneak in the negative, the topic just edging into the positive, interesting. see how that develops. back to you. >> looks like a bit of a mixed picture this friday morning for tokyo stocks. ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange. i will be back next hour with more of your business headlines. here is a look at some of your other market he is. >>> officials with the world health organization have been tracking the ebola outbreak in west africa, and they say the epidemic continues to accelerate. they say more than 20,000 people could be infected in the next six months. the w.h.o. has published new figures. they show 3,069 people have been infected or believe to have been infected with ebola, and the fatality rate is reachi

the nikkei average rose over 0.8%. 15,586. and that is a three-week closing high. thursday's advanced marked the ninth straight session of gains. >>> supermarket sales across japan dropped again in july. this marks a fourth straight month of declines since the consumption tax went up in april. officials at the japan chain stores association say sales at major supermarkets nationwide last month were down 2.1% from a year earlier. that's based on existing stores, excluding new openings and closures. sales of summer items like short sleeved shirts were sluggish as the rainy season ended later than usual in many regions of the country. sales in august have been affected by stormy weather. but they say the impact of sales tax hike is weakening. they're hoping to see a recovery in consumption from september. >>> japanese steelmakers are reacting to a drop in the cost of raw materials. they have a'agreed to cut prices of steel plates they sell to toyota. nippon steel and sumitomo agree to reduce the cost per ton by about $29 or 3% for the april to september period. that's

the nikkei average climbed 0.66% to 15,314, the fourth straight gain helped the index to reach a one-week closing high. trading volume was thin, though. many participants including domestic institutional investors were away for the traditional midsummer holidays. in the philippines, the main benchmark closed above the key 7,000 level for first time in 15 months. upbeat earnings from some major local firms lifted overall sentiment. also positive earnings news pushed up stocks in australia. the bellwether index finished 0.61% higher at 5,548. the share price of the country's largest telecom provider received a boost from solid earnings. seoul's kospi edged up to 2,063. the bank of korea decided to cut the key interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 2.25%. it was first rate cut since may 2013. the move was expected by many economists, traders showed a muted reaction. >>> officials from japan and the u.s. have ended their talks on auto trade issues. they failed to narrow their differences. but both sides will have discussions next month. the negotiations are in parallel with those for

tokyo's nikkei average closed at 15,161 following sharp lots last week. many participants stayed on the sidelines ahead of japanese gdp data due out on wednesday. sydney's benchmark index climbed to 5530 according to a survey by national australia bank the country's business confidence in july hit its highest level since last september and that boosted investor sentiment. in china players locked in profits from solid gains on monday. the shanghai composition 0.14% at 2221. investors are awaiting the release of a series of economic data from the world's second largest economy. this includes retail sales and industrial output to be released on wednesday. >>> the people at a japanese game developer are branching out in a different direction. managers at dna are giving customers a chance to check their risk of getting life-threatening illnesses. developers at the firm worked with researchers at the university of tokyo to create a genetic testing kit. they called my code. and they started selling it through a website. users provide saliva samples they send bac

here if tokyo, the nikkei average seeing gains about .1%, finishing at 15,534. profit taking capped the momentum. traders shifted interest to small-cap stocks as many didn't trade bellweather shares actively. the best performer in the region today is taiwan, the taiex index kleining 1%, the highest close it's seen in five weeks. leading the advance was shares in the technology sector. especially those who make components for apple products. investors are anticipating a good response to the new iphone, which is expected to be announced soon. and in hong kong, the hang seng index did see declines, it was down .6%, 24,918. many were on the sidelines today, in the middle of the earnings reporting season there. and others booked profits as the index has been approaching this year's high. french president, francois hollande is hoping to regain his popularity by pointing a new cabinet member. a 46 former banker has been named the new economy minister. emmanuel macron has been serving as the president's economic minister. the french cabinet resigned en masse following a

. >>> here in tokyo the nikkei average inched up a touch, finished at 15,454, holding on to a two-week high in what was a tepid trading session today. some participants bought shares on a weaker yen. others, though, chose to lock in profits on the recent surge. taiwan's benchmark index climbed a half a percent, finished at 9,288, a second straight session of gains there. financial shares led the advance on a brighter business outlook for local banks. in shanghai the composite index seeing declines a quarter of a percent. 2,240. chinese regulators approved 11 additional companies to list and these firms are scheduled to start accepting subscriptions next week. investors nervous about possible fund outflows for allocation to new issues. month after month finance ministry officials have seen more goods coming into japan than going out. the trade balance has been in the negative for 25 months in a row now. exporters believe demand from overseas may be starting to recover. the trade deficit for july came to about $9.4 billion. the figure narrowed by 6.6% in yen terms over a year earlier. bu

the nikkei is trading in the positive this morning and looks to extend its winning streak to a tenth day. but analysts say gains could be capped. some investors are looking to sell stocks and take advantage of the ventralrecent rally. people who track the markets say currency levels may be locked in a narrow band. federal reserve chair janet yellen and european central bank president mario droge will be speaking later today at an economic symposium in jackson hole, wyoming. let's look at what's happening in other asian markets. south korea's kospi trading higher. shanghai's key index is trading higher up by 10% and in hong kong the hang seng also in positive territory, up one-third percent. >>> investors around the world are keeping a close eye on china's real estate market. that's because new home prices in july fell across the country. and the decline is spreading from rural areas to cities. officials at china's national bureau of statistics say new housing prices rose in just two of the 70 cities surveyed in july compared to the previous month. prices fell in 64 cities. the pace o

the nikkei average climbed more than .8%, finishing at 15,449. that works out to a two-week closing high. the index has risen now for a seventh day in a row. weakening of the yen lifted overall sentiment. we've got traders seeing pretty low volume today. taiwan's index jumped more than 1% to 9243, a level not seen in two weeks. the u.s. tech-heavy benchmark nasdaq recorded its highest close in 14 years and this encouraged investors to push up shares of high-tech market heavyweights. in sydney the main index there seeing gains as well. just under .7%. 5623, extending recent gains to the highest level in almost three weeks. investors received a lift from earnings reports. companies in various sectors did release favorable results. >>> some investors have shied away from russia over the crisis in ukraine. others though can't ignore the opportunities. many including some from western japan are looking at projects in russia's far east. officials are trying to help local companies find a foothold in the region. they organized a seminar in the city of v

in tokyo the nikkei average at .6% finishing at 15,521. that was persian gulfing back from a three-week hit on monday. investors took profit during a pause in the yen's weakening trend. >>> in gentleman cart athe key index closed lower at 5,146. investors concerned about the possibility of an early cut in the government's fuel subsidy. that's a move that could push up inflation. >>> automakers are setting their gps for what they consider their last major market. they've been introducing a string of new cars in africa. populations are growing as is the buying power of consumers, especially in south africa. more now from nhk world. ♪ >> reporter: in july, japan's nissan motors unveiled a new model suv in south africa. >> my name is joe, and i'm here to introduce -- >> want to target this new audience. >> reporter: most automaker here are targeting young people. a survey shows that 80% of south africans in their 20s want to buy a car within five years. >> yes, i am looking for to buy a car. >> i will have something to rely on, and i can go an

the nikkei shed 1%, sinking to its lowest level in a week and a half. indonesian stocks were hit by weaker than expected gdp numbers. jakar jakarta's benchmark index ended down 0.2%. the country's april to june growth rate was the slowest since the financial crisis in 2008. >>> government officials in japan are wrestling with an issue that's common to countries with big populations. they want to increase the output of their farms so consumers will rely less on imported food. but their efforts to boost the self-sufficiency rate are failing to take hold. agricultural ministry officials measure the rate by looking at how many calories people consume. they say for the past four years, japanese have taken just 39% from local produce. the officials are aiming to increase that by fiscal 2020 to 50%. they say production of rice has been rising. again, they credit an increase in demand before the government increased the consumption tax. but they say bad weather caused a decline in crops such as soybeans. officials have been trying to ramp up production of feed

most asian stocks got a boost from the s&p's record, tokyo's nikkei gained a fraction. hong kong's hang seng lost half a percent. the markets got a lift from upbeat economic reports. orders for long-lasting manufactured goods shot up by the largest record in july, 22.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis and because of strong job gains, u.s. consumer confidence rose in august to 92.4%, its highest point in 72 years. >>> warren buffett is part of the whopper deal with burger king to buy tim hortons. the $11 billion price to purchase dan's tim hortons is to use $3 billion. it will change burger king's address to canada to save on taxes. until now buffett called companies who do such things as corporate deserters. >>> hp is recalling more than 5 million ac power cords because of possible overheating which can pose a fire and burn hazards. the cord is used for hp come pant and mini notebook computer. the company has gotten 29 reports of power cords overheating or melting or charring. >>> and american airlines are pulling their flights after contract disputes. paying orbitz for

this sent the nikkei to its sharpest decline in about five months. let's have a look at the nikkei. it is actually down by 2.9%. what a steep fall there. the central bank's pessimism comes out of taiwan. the domestic economy is still dealing with the impact of april sales. tax hike, the boj did maintain its overall economic view of a modest recovery and left its monetary policy unchanged. joining me now is the head of economic research at diawa capital markets europe. basically the boj is saying forget about our export dependence because it's not going to be helping us anyway. sit right to really focus on the domestic consumer? >> i think it probably is, because everybody had been originally pinning their hopes on the big depreciation of the yen that we've seen since middle of 2012. would give a big boost to exports. and that just hasn't happened. it really hasn't mattered, because domestic demand accounts for 85% of gdp in japan. so if you get domestic demand moving, you get the whole economy moving. that's what happened over the past year. obviously we got noise now associated wit